Smell your Softness
by BadOldWestern
Summary: Wolf has been noticing a change in Scarlet because of their close proximity...sometimes it's best to leave things up to instincts.
1. Chapter 1

_Scarlet decides to go to Wolf one night. What I really fucking wish happened during Cress. Based on an idea by my new friend Anna about Wolf's heightened senses. A really cool theory actually. _

She dreamed of the train again. The rush of movement under her back, with him hovering over her. Pressed between two equally solid surfaces, hurtling across the countryside on the train. And against his body.

Her adrenaline tore through her body as he lowered himself, settling between her legs -as she had wanted him to back then- gently grinding his hips against hers. They kissed, with the intensity of the chip-swap at the opera, but this time lusty and personal and intimate. His face nudged hers as she fumbled with his belt, his eyes pouring into hers, trusting her.

His arm stretched between them, reaching to touch her, and she felt it slide down her belly and under the waistband of her jeans, slowly, slowly…

Scarlet woke in a sheen of sweat; her eyes popping open, immediately wide awake.

She groaned softly, knowing that _this_ was the moment she had to wake up, right when things were getting good. Her hands covered her face as she stilled her breathing. At least she tried to.

_It's not like he wouldn't do that to you now, if he was here._

She bit her lip at the thought. But he wouldn't come here. He was waiting for her.

She fumbled with the portscreen next to her bed, checking the time. The harsh glow informed her she had to be awake soon anyway.

She snaked a hand down, adjusting her underwear uncomfortably. This was going to be a problem, if she kept waking up like this every morning.

Yawning, she settled on a thick pair of pants, some breakfast before the small kitchen got crowded, and a hot shower before everyone else was lined up for the bathroom. That would have to function as a treatment to this growing problem.

The kitchen was empty and full with the strange whirring that she'd realized was Iko's snoring. She settled into the privacy with a bit more comfort. At least no one saw her before she could fix her mussed hair or smell the sweat on her body.

She sloppily poured herself a bowl of cereal, her shaking hands getting more milk on the countertop than the glass. She placed both of her palms on the counter, taking a deep breath and making herself be still, be calm, be even.

She jumped out of her skin at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder.

"Scarlet?" Wolf's voice was off.

It was a lot like a familiar growl. It was rough, low, and a bit of a warning.

His noise dug under her ear, nudging her neck softly.

She took a soft, sharp breath. She could feel the heat of his body brush her skin, yet he held back, careful not to touch her fully.

"Is there something wrong?" she said, turning her head slightly, an easy excuse to lean towards his face.

He sniffed at her hungrily, burying his face in her hair.

"You just…_smell _different," He mumbled, settling his hands on her hips, "you have for a couple days now…"

She shut her eyes tightly. Oh, he could smell it on her. Oh no. Would there ever be any secrets that she could keep from him, for once?

She sighed, leaning her head back against his chest.

"What do you smell?"

"I…I don't know. But it makes me…feel funny…"

His arms wrapped around her.

She just wanted him to bend her over the counter at this point, no matter how hair-brained the idea seemed. She needed him. Her body was sending him signals and his wolf instincts were catching them before she even realized what she was doing. This was torture, the threat of any of her new friends catching them.

He would never initiate something like that. That was so risky, that would make her so uncomfortable. He was being incredibly delicate with the pace of their relationship. He held himself back from her, even now, with a chaste hug as it was clear he was ready to ravage her willing body.

This was all up to her.

Reluctantly, she pulled away.

"Breakfast," she said weakly, with a nervous smile. He nodded, reaching for a bowl from the cabinet behind her head, briefly trapping her against the counter.

Scarlet held her breath as he brought the dish down, cradling it against his chest carefully. They exchanged brief glances as they brushed past each other, preparing for the morning.

Her free hand rested on the table as she ate, and he draped his large one over hers. His fingers squeezed lightly, reassuring, but also protectively. It was a strange, silent pledge. He was there to serve her. Protect her. Please her, if need be. She was in control. She just had to ask. He flipped their hands so hers rested over his, his alpha, his mate, his Scarlet.

She just had to muster up the courage to take control.

_A/N this'll be at least a three shot, and I mean that this time. My biggest gripe with Cress was barely and Scarlet and Wolf, and what we did get was torture. Oh well. _

_Very special thanks to my new friend Anna's brilliant request, which definitely got rusted, dusty wheels turning once again in my mind._


	2. Chapter 2

Scarlet stood numbly under the stream of water. She felt more tired than ever. Her unrest wasn't going to be easily settled. She had already slithered away from Wolf after she finished eating, muttering lamely about a shower.

Her soapy hands were doing their best to revive some comfort in her skin, but she remained tense and rigid.

She was nearly boiling under the stream of water, the faucet set so hot that the steam around pressed against as unyieldingly as a human body would feel.

She slid a hand down between her legs, and nearly fell against the wall. The pleasure from just a little friction was almost sickening, but she really couldn't stop herself anymore. Her fingers insistently teased her clit, a rough friction that seemed no-nonsense in achieving its goals. After a few minutes of steadily increased pace, she was getting weak in the knees, gripping the wall of the shower for support. She was so close, and needed the relief so badly…

Her thoughts were on Wolf. His fingers replacing her own. His tongue. Every time her walls shuddered with pleasure, she longed for his cock to fill her and feel each wave touch against him. She felt so empty and needy.

"Wolf," she groaned, sliding the thumb of her free hand over her nipple.

But the thoughts of him filling her were what pushed her over the edge. It was a short orgasm, one that was needed and not savored, fast and insistent but not lingering.

"Wolf…" she whimpered softly, clamping her thighs around her hand. She slumped against the corner of the shower, the water flowing down her motionless body.

She didn't hear the door slide open.

"Scarlet?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin, when he was standing in the doorway. The door was quickly shut behind him, and his eyes remained on her face, as if he didn't even realize the state she was in.

"You…you said my name, I thought…there was something wrong."

She fumbled for a towel, drawing it around herself. He closed the space between them, taking her face in his hands. "Are you alright?"

"I…I don't know."

"Scarlet, you're trembling."

Her dark eyes flitted up to him, her lips swollen and pursed, and she settled her hands on his chest. As she drew closer, he paused for a moment, sniffing.

His eyes deepened in some emotion she couldn't quite place. He suddenly looked almost savage, but that was strapped down with whatever restraint he had left.

"Wolf, what's going on?" her lower lip quivered as the words trembled on her tongue.

"I think… I think you're in heat…" he said softly, pushing her wet hair out of her face.

"Oh." She glanced down, blushing at the answer. She didn't like that her body was summed up by instincts, that it was ignoring her more complicated feelings, and revealing the simplified, partially true desires. More than partially. Very true. But her reluctance wasn't exactly coating her like a musk. It wasn't fair.

Scarlet met his gaze again, biting her lip. Wolf hands on her were incredibly gentle, though it looked like every muscle in his body was twisted in fear. He was holding himself back.

Maybe her reluctance was still present. It was exactly why he was holding back as he was.

"Wolf," she said pityingly, gathering him into her arms.

He growled, snuggling into the curve of her neck, even if he had to stoop down awkwardly to do so. Their balance was swayed for a moment, and she clung to him to steady herself.

"Is it affecting you?"

"Yes," he ground out, nuzzling her carefully.

"Poor Wolf," she moaned, tangling a hand in his hair, "Is it hard on you?"

"It's just…difficult to be so close to you…without scaring you…"

"Oh! I'm sorry." She combed his hair back with her fingers, "I didn't want you to think I was scared of you. I am scared of a lot of things, but not you."

He dropped to his knees in front of her, looking up at her with a face lined with concern.

"What are you afraid of?" he gripped her waist carefully.

She smiled wanly, smoothing her fingers over his brow. "It's silly, now that I'm talking to you about it. I guess I'm scared of…pain. A little bit. And…I don't know, this is happening so fast. It's been a complicated week."

"We don't have to go fast. I'm fine, Scarlet, we can take all the time you need. And I won't hurt you, Scarlet." He was so earnest, so eager to prove he'd rather die than cause her harm. He himself does not sound so convinced.

"Not intentionally, maybe…." she mused, cradling his head against her belly. He closed his eyes, snuggling against her body. She chewed her lip in consideration. His hands against the skin of her back were sparking some pretty explicit images, and she was suppressing a groan at the thoughts reappearing from earlier in the shower, and the dream the night before.

"I keep having dreams about you," she whispered, her voice breaking with tension.

He groaned, gripping her even tighter. "I know. When I wake up I can smell it. It makes me want you so badly Scarlet."

"I want you too," she finally admitted, pushing away to lower herself to the floor, onto his level. She parted the towel draped around her and let it fall to the floor. His eyes widened and his hands twitched at his sides.

He shifted, and drew back. He was on all fours, tensed and at full attention. There was something so animal about it. She reached a timid hand forward to play with a stray curl of his hair, pushing it out of his face. His brow trembled with concentration.

It finally hit her that he was holding back, for her to initiate.

"Oh, Wolf," she blurted out, "It's okay. It's okay. Just touch me."

He quickly gathered her up into his arms, pulling her onto his lap as he leaned against the wall of the narrow bathroom. She slung her arms around his neck. "I want you to touch me." She whispered in his ear.

He growled, his lips already working over her neck, nipping at her gently. She shivered, gripping his hair and clinging to his hips with her thighs. He made a strange whining noise against the curve of her neck, tugging her hips down to rub against his groin. She felt his erection growing, and realized her nakedness against him. She couldn't bring herself to care. He felt too good, everything felt too good.

Her lips brushed his, his head was thrown back and his eyes were closed. She nudged her nose against his to get his attention. He opened his eyes, and despite everything else that had happened between them this morning, he leaned towards her for the softest, lightest kiss she'd ever felt. His lips pressed to hers carefully, teasingly, cautiously at first. She loved the gentleness, but feeling him underneath her was too much to not respond to. She held his face between her hands, kissing him soundly, her tongue sliding easily between his lips. He growled again, and it rumbled against her breasts and her bare skin and she almost lost her balance at the feeling of it.

His hands smoothed up and down her body, not reaching anywhere he hadn't touched before and reluctant to initiate anything.

"You're trembling," he ground out, pulling away from her kiss.

"No, I don't want to stop…." She started, pulling him closer.

"Uh…guys…there's no delicate way to put this. You need to put an end to whatever it is you're doing in there and let me use the bathroom."

Cinder's voice was flatlined with exhaustion and impatience.

Scarlet nearly launched herself off of Wolf's lap, pulling her clothes back on and wrapping a towel around her hair. Wolf was a similar blur of motion and confusion, but Scarlet scuttled out the door past Cinder too quickly for him to catch where she was going.

He mumbled an apology to Cinder, and turned down the hall to find Scarlet. Cinder glanced around the bathroom, the shower still running, all the towels pulled haphazardly to the floor, steam fogging every surface.

"It's too early for this," she grumbled. Iko's voice chimed over her head.

"Tell me about it!"

Scarlet wanted to die of humiliation. And frustration. Face burning, she curled behind one of the crates of the loading dock, feeling sick. She didn't feel ready to face anyone for a while.


End file.
